For His Safety, For My Love
by sairiotana
Summary: Dorian miraculously lives, and has to save his loved one at all costs. Alternative storyline to fifth book of COVT by Heather Brewer. Yaoi,rated T for now,couples are VladXDorian,maybe HenryXOC later. *NOTE-READ INSIDE FOR MORE INFO.*
1. Prologue: Savior Revives

**A/N~Hey everyone! So, after reading the fifth book (well, part of it,anyway) I got super inspired and wrote this little thing. ^^ Basically, Dorian's life is saved from death (o0o) and he learns about the return of Tomas Tod. This is only the prologue, so that my future chapters (if I do post more chapters) make a little bit more sense. :D Anyways, this is my first fanfic EVER, so I really hope it's good...if any spelling mistakes appear, please notify me and I will do what I can! This is basically a Yaoi story so if you don't like, don't read T-T Couples are VladimirXDorian and maybe HenryXOCXJoss later...I haven't made up my mind yet.**

**I hope you enjoy, and reviews are 3 !**

Dorian laid still on the ground, his features pale, torso unmoving. In the bitter pits of death, in the deep unconsciousness of his soul, Dorian fought to believe of his passing. Reviving the last moments like an old cassette, he remembered the pain of the stake through his chest, vivid and still fresh in his dying mind. Then he saw a face, a young one's pretty face, bewilderment beyond comprehension written deep within his dark eyes.

Ah, yes, Dorian knew who the boy was. He knew all too well. In his centuries of roaming about the globe, never had Dorian fell upon such an intriguing individual, one as complex and as beautiful as that special young one. Being a hybrid link between human and vampire, granted with the divine powers of Pravus, he had captivated the madman's interest, and much more, up until the very end.

He who went by the name of Vladimir Tod, nonetheless.

It was he who should have received the fatal injury. He who should have been staked by the Slayer. He should have felt the overwhelming pain. He who should be lying still on the ground, breathing in his last breath, taking away the prophecy of the Pravus with him in his final slumber. It was he who should be in Dorian's place, alone and cold on the earth.

Dorian wanted nothing of it. Thinking about the boy's death added pain to his already wounded chest. As he saw the Slayer lift his stake behind Vladimir's back, he took no time choosing to save the hybrid's life over his own. He had never suffered as great of pain as he had when the stake pierced through his flesh, but he never regretted it.

He had saved his life; if only for shortly, he had saved Vladimir's life. He had guarded his loved one from the cruel grips of death. He had given his life to the one he cared most for on the face of the earth.

Dorian couldn't think of a better way to end his life. Though he would never see the sun rise again, though he would never drink blood again, though he would never be able to tell him how much he means in his heart, he died knowing that Vladimir would live, even only another day.

It was more than he could ever asked for.

Feeling his body weighing down more and more, Dorian knew his time had finally come. It was only a matter of moments before he was forever gone into the abyss of the afterlife, forever to sleep in the depths of hell itself.

He thought one last farewell to Vladimir in his last pieces of consciousness, and wished him a life of happiness. The young one had gone through so much, it was only suitable for him to live on a better life. A better life without him.

As the darkness slowly crept into his mind, a shimmer of light pierced through Dorian. Strangely enough, it enveloped him, like a sweet caress, and chased death away from his believed forsaken soul. Confusion crept over him as all pain dissipated into nothingness, every nerve in his body setting on fire. It was perplexing; instead of feeling like death had finally come to take him away, he felt every fiber of his being reviving.

Then, from the silence came a voice, as warm and as soft as a summer breeze, "Dear Dorian; you who always wanted to die in such a over-dramatic way. Sweet to perish for the one you love, but I am in dire need of your assistance."

Dorian's eyes shot open when his name was spoken, and, through a foggy blue aura, saw the face of a stunningly beautiful girl. She was as pale as porcelain, curly brown hair framing her youthful face and cascading down her back. She wore a light summer dress, possible of snow-color, with matching bows tied up in her hair. Her eyes shone in the moonlight an incredible electric blue color, as vividly as the day sky itself.

He smiles at the lady's familiar features. He had expected no one to come and save him from death, but, had he thought through it only a moment, he would have no doubt she would come for him. It was like her to do that; save his soul when life itself couldn't pull him back, though she probably never actually had any use for him. She was simply kind-hearted that way.

The girl, by the name of Marie-Anne resembled a saint in every way imaginable.

Marie-Anne smiled warmly at Dorian once she saw his opened eyes. "Good evening, Dorian."

"Good evening, Marie-Anne." He whispered, still unable to properly speak. The wound had not yet fully healed; it still needed a little more time.

"I do hope you realize that, had I arrived only a second later, you might have been beyond rescuing." She said, sternly, as her hands hovered over Dorian's chest. "I cannot bring people back past the point of death."

"But you came just in time." Insisted Dorian, as the blue aura dissipated from around him. Once completely gone, he sat up slowly, brining up his right hand and flexing his fingers in admiration. "No restrictions in my muscles." He looked down at his chest and the only proof remaining of the incident was his shredded shirt, soaked in his blood. His skin was otherwise flawless. "Not even a scar visible. You have honed your healing skills well, Marie-Anne."

She gave out a contented sigh. "Don't ever scare me like that again, Dorian, you hear me? I almost lost you, I could feel you slipping away…and, for a minute, I thought I was going to lose you for good. I…" She hesitated slightly, then took Dorian's hand in hers. "Never again Dorian. Ever. I don't think I would stand losing such a friend as you."

He smiled softly at her, giving her hand a slight squeeze. "I did not mean to scare you, I assure you that. I just couldn't let myself stand by and let Vlad…" he left his sentence unfinished , but he had said enough for Marie-Anne to understand. She simply gave him another smile, and stood, gracefully, "I know, Dorian. I know your feelings towards Vladimir. You did it to protect him from harm. But, imagine the pain he suffers right now."

Confused, Dorian stood as well, intrigued by the girl's comment. "Whatever do you mean?"

She looked up at him- standing, Dorian was a good head-and-a-half taller than her- and gave him a knowing look. "He hit his Slayer friend until near death, saw you die before him, for him, and drank from you. I think that is pretty troublesome by itself, but the guilt he carries is…overwhelming." She spoke the last word with heaviness in her voice, her eyes darting to the ground. "He blames himself for everything that has happened."

Dorian winced. For Marie-Anne to say Vladimir's guilt weighed heavy on him meant he must carry it like dead weight behind him. Awful play on words on Dorian's part.

Marie-Anne saw the hurt crossing her friend's features, and decided it best to change to another subject. They would talk about it further later. But, for now, "Did you see who appeared in the clearing?"

Snapping out of his thought trail, Dorian stared intently at the girl. "No…I felt a new presence, although familiar, but was out too cold to notice who it was. Do I know him?"

She bit her bottom lip, hesitating whether she should tell him or not. In the end, though, he had a right to know. "Yes, as do I, though not personally… It would seem that Tomas Tod has risen from the grave."

Wide-eyed, Dorian stared at her in disbelief. "No…it can't be…"

She nodded solemnly, the thought sending shivers up her spine. "I do not lie; he passed right by me. If I hadn't been hiding, he would have bumped right into me. He bypassed you as well, but fortunately believed you were dead. I had the time to move you away before anyone else saw you."

As if in denial, Dorian shook his head from side to side. "No…he had burned…Vladimir said he had seen his ashes…"

"Yet he walks amongst the living, in flesh and bones. I can swear it on my own mother's grave," Marie-Anne implied, with much meaning in her words.

The thought of Tomas being alive both set them on edge. The air tensed considerably, and Dorian realized in that moment the danger Vladimir was in. If his father was still alive, he would surely go see him first, filling the young one's brain with his lies. He would lead him to do whatever he wants, and eventually take his Pravus powers away from him, one way or another. It would be the end for Vlad, along with vampirehood and humanity's freedom.

Forever.

Forever without Vlad was torture to Dorian.

He had to do something to prevent it. But what could be done?

"I know a place," Marie-Anne said, as if she had read his thoughts, "A place where he can be safe. Not forever, but long enough for Tomas and his followers to loose track of him. Long enough for us to reinforce our troops and to protect him from further assault. If we take him there, we would win the upper hand. Vladimir would be safe."

Dorian stared at her in complete awe and disbelief. "When did you…?"

She smiled, that smile she always had when her planning-ahead paid off, and told him, "I foresaw such a thing happening, where we would need to re-locate in case of emergencies. I thought about it after Vlad's trial, where he would need a safe-spot to hide from Elysia."

The vampire grinned. He had to admit, that had been a smart move on her part. "Now, it's just a question about convincing him, am I right?"

Marie-Anne nodded. "The sooner, the better," she said. "We don't know when Tomas's next move will be, but we have to be ready for 'sooner' than 'later'."

Dorian acknowledged the situation's gravity. They couldn't let Tomas reach his goals. So Vladimir had to be taken away to somewhere safer, somewhere where he could be freer than if he stayed in Bathory. It had to be done for his own good. Even though it meant leaving his family and friends behind.

That would take some time, and Dorian took care to acknowledge that as well. "Should I pay him a visit, then?"

Marie-Anne visibly hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip and twirling her thumbs around one another. After what seemed like a lot of deliberation, she finally said, "I guess we have no other course of action. I feel bad-he's been through so much already, tonight especially…I guess I was hoping we could give him some time. But it won't be long until he wants to start searching for Tomas, and we can't take the chance to let them meet again."

Dorian, seeing the girl was obviously troubled, took her in his arms and gave her what he hoped was a recomforting caress. "You only have his best interest in mind, Marie-Anne. It might be hard on him at first, but Vladimir is an exceptional boy. He'll get through it."

"You're right, Dorian; Vladimir possess a strong will," She murmured into his chest, with a trembling voice, "But even the strongest soul on this earth can be shaken. All I hope for is that he will understand our motives and let us bring him to safety."

"He will, don't you worry none," Dorian soothed. "If we tell him the truth, he will see clearly. And he will see that we only want his well-being." He broke the embrace with Marie-Anne, tears now rolling down her cheeks, and gave her shoulders one last reassuring squeeze. "I am grateful to you, Marie-Anne; your intentions are to save Vlad, but you save the whole world by trying to protect him. You protect _my_ world, and for that, you will always have my gratitude."

She laughed then, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hands. "Enough with the honors; I am but doing what is right. Now, leave, Dorian; find Vladimir, your love, and save him from the evil of Tomas and his followers. Be sure to be seen by no one."

As if he were the servant and Marie-Ann his master, he bowed, stalking into the night, unheard and unseen. He would save his loved one, at any cost possible.


	2. Chapter 1: By His Window

**Hello everyone! Goodness, it's been so long! I haven't updated this thing in a LONG time, and I'm truly sorry to the ones who were waiting for the next chapter! ' Anyways, in this chapter, Vlad gets an unexpected visitor! :D Wonder who it is... anyways a few things to underline:**

**1. _Bolded Italic _writing is straight from he book**

**2. Book passage nor characters belong to me, they belong to the awesome Heather Brewer. The fanfic is mine**

** chapter is rated T (probably lower), very light, subtle YAOI (boyXboy don't like don't read please) Vlorian (VladXDorian)**

**Reviews are loved 3**

**Enjoy!**

**From COVT, book five, Twelfth Grade Kills, chapter 4 (A taste of Insanity), paragraph 2:**

** _~ Otis pulled into Nelly's driveway and had just barely come to a stop before Vlad was out the door and inside the house, up the stairs, and pacing back and forth across his bedroom. Vlad was stressed, but more than that he was afraid. Afraid of what he was becoming, afraid of the immense powers that he now possessed._**

**_On one hand, he didn't want these powers, didn't want anything at all to do with those freaky Pravus powers. But on the other…it was really cool knowing that he was capable of almost superhero moves. Still, it scared him to think he might lose himself in the moment, that he was truly capable of causing someone real harm. It was enough to make his head spin._**

**_Enough to make him go crazy._**

**_He waited for a good hour, pacing back and forth as quietly as he was able, until the house had gone quiet and Vlad was certain that Nelly was sleeping. Then he put his plan into action._**

**_He was going back to the clearing to find his dad.~_**

Well, that's what he _had_ planned-though it weren't exactly "a plan"- when he herd a soft knocking at his window, drawing him out of his deeper thoughts. Curious, he crossed the room and peered through the thin glass. He scrunched his eyes, looked left and right, but, even with his vampire eyes, he couldn't see anything in the dark night. Not even the moon's rays helped. Irritated slightly, he pulled the sliding glass upwards, and an uninvited yet welcomed, cool, summer breeze brushed past him . Brining along, as Vlad surprisingly acknowledged, a unexpected visitor. He gasped.

"Dorian?" He muttered, disbelievingly, at the man crouched upon his bedroom window. He shut his eyes firmly, and reopened them, half-hoping that it was only one of the crazy visions was becoming victim to. But he was still there. Looking every bit alive as he had the previous day.

Vlad simply couldn't believe it.

But the man smiled, a very warm, very real smile, and said, "Good evening, Vladimir. I do hope I am of no bother."

Vlad could only shake his head, as if denying to himself what he was seeing. He knew Dorian was dead. Jake had staked his through the chest. He had drank from Dorian in his dying moments, and had felt his pulse die on his lips. Dorian couldn't be alive. He just couldn't be.

Yet there he was, at his window, smiling as if nothing had ever happened. Vladimir now questioned-and even hoped-that nothing _had_ happened, that it was all a bad dream he would soon wake up from. That everything horrible that had happened throughout his entire life was just a passing nightmare. But his heavy heart told him that it was all true, that everything in his life was upside down. And that he now he saw dead people. At first his father, and now the man he believed had made him crazy in the first place.

Dorian.

An empty silence hanged in the room between the two, as if allowing both of them to reckon of the evening's events. They stared at each other for a long time, meaningfully, but Dorian eventually broke eye contact and, quietly, he answered all of the silent questions that Vlad was asking himself. "I was near death, Vladimir. Very near." He said, "But I… I was saved at the last second. I am not an illusion created by your mind; I am real, as real as you are breathing."

Vladimir, unsure of how much of what he had said was true, asked, "Who were you saved by? Wait, let me rephrase that-who has the power to save a dying person?"

Dorian, evidently hesitant, knew that mentioning about Marie-Anne too soon might be problematic for the all of them-especially Vlad. So, he settled on, "A friend. It was a dear friend of mine who saved me."

The half-vampire was obviously unsatisfied by the full-fledged vampire's response, but decided not to press the issue. Instead, he seeked answer to another question probing his mind; "How do I know your not just an illusion?"

Dorian smiled once more, and, in a few, swift motions, entered Vlad's room, approached him, and took his rather small hand in his. He then brought it up to his chest, right above his beating heart, and pressed it against him. He felt the younger boy's hand go hotter in his-probably from embarrassment- and saw that his cheeks turned an interesting shade of scarlet. He found it abnormally cute, but decided not to voice his opinion. "My heart beats. You can feel it, can't you?"

At that, Vladimir nodded.

"Well, that is all I can do to prove that I am alive-and very real." Carefully, Dorian let go of Vladimir's hand, and took a few steps back away from him. The last thing he wanted was to upset the boy, and he already seemed flustered. It was apparent that he wasn't used to much human-well, vampire-touch. So Dorian decided he wouldn't push it further. He found it, however, very adorable how the boy was so easily unsettled.

Vladimir looked down at his feet, not knowing why his heart was skipping necessary beats, or why his face suddenly felt so warm. Was it some sort of vampiric power? He doubted it, but pushed it aside as that for now. He would ask about it to Dorian eventually, but now was not the time. He had other questions that needed answers. "So you're not hurt anymore?"

Dorian pointed at the hole in his shirt, at the bare, exposed skin there. "Not even a scar is left. I was much more worried about you."

"Me?" Vlad asked, confused. "Why would you worry about me?"

Dorian sighed, and locked eye contact with the raven-haired teenager. "You are in danger, Vladimir."

Vladimir rolled his eyes at the irony of that statement. Of the _under_statement. "Except the fact that Em wants to skin me alive and that Joss -and probably every other Slayer in the Slayer Society- wants a stake through my heart? What has been added to my list?"

With no signs of amusement in his voice, Dorian said, as low as his voice could audibly go; "Your father."

A new, heavy atmosphere settled in the room as Vlad stared wide-eyed at Dorian, disbelief brimming his eyes. "My…father?"

Dorian solemnly nodded, and slowly started pacing across the room. "He is alive…My friend saw him pass through the clearing where you and your Slayer friend were. You have seen him, am I right?"

Vlad's gaze followed Dorian around the room, and nodded when he realized he had, in fact, seen his father. It hadn't been an illusion. His dad-Tomas Tod- was alive. And he had seen him that very night.

The urge to start searching for his father returned, even though multitudes of questions demanded answers in his head. He tried to push them aside, but, barely had he reached his door that an iron-like grip caught his wrist and turned him around, only to meet a dangerously blank-faced Dorian. "Where do you think you are headed to, young one?"

Dorian's sudden change in tone sent goosebumps crawling over his body. That, or the fact that he and Dorian were making contact once more. Or both. "I have to find my dad." He whispered, trying to look away from the much taller vampire.

Dorian shook his head, causing Vlad's heart to sink. "Did you not here me? You are in danger, and the danger you are prey to _is_ Tomas."

Bewildered that he would even say such a thing, Vlad hissed, "What are you talking about? He is my father! He's probably the last person who wants to hurt me!"

"And that's exactly what he wants you to think!" Dorian, angry, pointed to seemingly nowhere and raised his voice as high as he dared to in a household of sleeping people. "He wants you to think he'll do you no harm. He wants you to think that he'll protect you. He wants your trust, Vladimir, only to burn it to ashes later. That much I can swear to you."

Vlad heard what Dorian was saying, but it seemed too surreal to believe. He didn't want to believe it. "He's my father! Why wouldn't I trust him?" He asked, lowering his own voice in fear they would be heard.

Frustrated, Dorian's voice dropped so low that Vlad felt chills crawl up his spine once more. "He only wants to use you, Vladimir. He wants to steal your Pravus powers for his own selfish plans."

"But I…" Vlad wanted to believe that Dorian was wrong. With all of his heart, he wanted to think that Dorian was just being dimwitted. A part of his mind told him that Dorian was. He knew his dad. He was kind and loving, and would protect him at any cost. Vlad knew this, better than anyone else, and knew he would never do anything to hurt him.

…But, on the other hand, Dorian had no reason to make all of this up. He had nothing to gain from it. And Vlad also knew that, even though he tended to be on the crazy side, Dorian was an honest man. He was nice and had protected Vlad with his own life. As much as he hated to admit it to himself, even though he didn't want to believe what Dorian was saying and just kick him out the same way he came in, Vlad couldn't just deny what he had said, either.

Tears blurred his vision as his suddenly tired body couldn't take in all that it was hearing. With a shuddering breath, he pulled his arm away from Dorian's grasp, and nursed his reddish skin close to his chest. "Why would he do that?" Vladimir said, more to himself than to Dorian, "I'm his son…doesn't that count for something? Was he…just protecting me…to protect the powers I have? No…he couldn't have _planned_ me to be the Pravus…couldn't he?"

Feeling sudden distressed, and somewhat alone, Vlad's senses shut down and tear drops were freely tracing paths down his cheeks. He backed up onto his door and he let himself slide to the floor, not caring if he woke up everybody in the house. He didn't care right now. His world was crumbling around him. One of his bests friend almost-to-the-literal-sense- back-stabbed him, everybody wanted him dead and now his father was out to get ahold of his Pravus powers? It was too much for Vlad, leaving him with nothing to hold on to. It was all too much for the poor, seventeen-year-old boy to handle.

And Dorian knew it. He knew that Vlad had the weight of a world on his shoulders. A world filled with pain, loss and loneliness. He knew this, and all he wished for was to take it away from him. To take it all away, and to see Vlad happy for the rest of his life, like he truly deserved to be.

But all he could do for now was to try and sooth him, to sooth the pain he held in his heavy heart.

He sat down next to the weeping Vlad, and wrapped an arm around his slender shoulders, giving them a light squeeze. He didn't say a word, fearing it might worsen the situation, until he felt the boy's head slump onto his shoulder. The tears had stopped, but his eyes still glimmered with a thin layer of water. Most of all, Vlad looked exhausted. "Tired?" Dorian asked, giving him a small tug on the shoulder.

Vlad slowly bopped his head, looking up to meet Dorian's eyes. "What will I do, Dorian?" He asked wearily, "Wherever I go, someone wants me, in some form or another, dead. And I don't have enough lives to go around."

Dorian smiled. "Well, that much is obvious," he said. "But I might have a plan for you."

Vlad turned in Dorian's hold, as if to face him, but in a position in which Dorian's arm was still around his shoulders. Vlad wouldn't admit it out loud, but it felt rather nice to just sit like this with Dorian. It was an enjoyable sentiment. "I'm listening." He said.

The other vampire passed a hand through his copper hair, not knowing exactly where to start. "You know the friend I mentioned before?" –at this, Vlad nods- "They know a place. A place where you could go to and hide…for now. It would only be temporary, not to worry; it would only be until we find a way to get everyone off your back. Including Alumno."

"Alumno?"

"The group your father founded who believe the Pravus will rise to rule over vampirekind and enslave the human race." Dorian said, and Vladimir's face fell slightly. "Oh."

"Point aside, you would be safe. Free, to a certain extremity. It will most likely only be for the summer, but there are chances you miss the first two semesters of your upcoming school year."

_School_, Vlad thought. It seemed so foreign at the moment, so alien. So…_normal_. He wished he had a little of that in his life at the moment. "What about Otis and Nelly? And Henry? Won't they get hunted, too?"

The vampire nodded, "But don't worry; with you in safety, Otis will have no trouble keeping Nelly safe from harm. He is rather good at hiding from Elysia." With that, Dorian smiled, " Your drudge, on the other hand… I will ask my friend if he can accompany us. It would be safer for you and himself if he did not stay unsupervised."

"Why?"

"Because a drudge is the first person vampires go after to find their masters."

"Point taken," Vlad said, and sighed a heavy breath. "But I don't if I'll be able to leave Bathory. I've never really left this place, save for a couple of trips to nearby cities. And Russia, when Otis and I visited Vikas some time back. And that was only a couple of weeks. "

"See it simply as expanding your knowledge of foreign countries." Dorian said, motioning his hand in front of him, as if showing the world to Vlad. "And it is for your safety. I ask of you to trust me on this one. Please."

Vlad thought this over for what seemed an eternity to Dorian. Then; "Okay, if you say it's for my safety, I'll go. But on one condition."

Hopeful, Vlad noticed Dorian's eyes twinkle. "Anything you want, Vladimir." He was willing to do anything to keep Vlad safe and alive. Anything.

Vlad chewed on his bottom lip unconsciously, and said, "I want to meet that friend of yours."

Dorian's eyes widened slightly. He had not entirely expected this. Well, not so early on, anyway. "Why?" he asked.

The hybrid shrugged, his shoulders slumping back down almost immediately. He could feel the grasp of slumber finally getting a hold of his body. "Well, they seem to know a lot of stuff. And I want to thank them."

Curious, Dorian's head tipped slightly to the side. "Whatever for?"

"For saving your life." Vladimir whispered, and, before he even knew it, his heavy eyelids shut closed, and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

Dorian sat there, a sleeping Vlad in his arms, completely awestruck.

But very happy.


	3. Chapter 2: To meet a Stranger

**Hello eveyone, sairionata in! C: It's been a while since I updated this, so here's the next chapter! :D Oh And just so you all know that I will not be able to update anything for a good while. Why? Well, mainly renovations are going to be done in my downstairs home because of a little flood we've had, and I won't have direct computer access for a loooooong time. But I promise I'll try to squeeze in some time at school to answer comments and try to finish the first chapter of the promised fanfic for Amphibious Draculina (I haven't forgotten you, I swear! ;A; ). Well enough about that and on with the story!**

**Enjoy and comments are loved!**

In the depths of the darkness that enveloped him, Vladimir saw a shimmer of light. Consciousness crept back into his mind and body, and, as he tried to blink away the sunshine's early rays, he noticed that something felt oddly unfamiliar to his usual morning awakenings.

He was in his room, that much he knew. He could tell by it's familiar feeling. But something was out of place. There was something different about the room. Though not unpleasant, it still bothered Vlad. So, unwillingly, he forced opened his eyes, only to see another pair staring straight at him.

He screamed.

As Vlad scrambled up on his bed and tripped off, the other man winced, and tried to calm down the frightened boy. "Vladimir, please, quiet down," he hushed, "It's just me. Dorian."

Vlad groaned loudly, rubbing the back of his head absentmindedly. "Don't do that! You scared the hell out of me!" He hissed, but Dorian just smiled; which both infuriated and comforted him. Only he could do such a thing, Vlad thought to himself.

The taller man offered him his hand, a normally polite thing to do, but Vladimir blushed at the idea of accepting it. He couldn't grasp the reason why, but a lingering numbness of sorts told him that it was more than simple embarrassment. He brushed it off, and stood -unaided- and picked up his fallen bed sheets from the floor. "Anyways, why are you still here?" He asked, placing the covers on his mattress. "I thought you would have left once I was sleeping."

Dorian's smile widened. "That would have been a rude thing to do."

"And why's that?" The young hybrid asked, throwing his pillows on the bed.

"You never leave while someone is talking to you. A simple question of manners." Dorian stated, picking up his discarded trench coat from the floor. "I do hope you've never done so."

Confused, Vladimir's eyebrow rose. "Who were you talking to? Otis?"

Dorian shook his head. "_You_ were talking. Maybe not directly to me, but you were definitely talking."

Vlad stared blankly at Dorian for a few moments before realizing what he was actually saying. When it sunk in completely, his face, to Dorian's utter amusement, turned lovely shades of crimson. _So easily flustered he is_, Dorian chuckled.

"W-what d-d-did I s-say?" the young halfling inquired, embarrassed by what Dorian might have herd. He could have said possibly anything, may it be stupid or not.

The older vampire just shrugged, as if it was a daily thing to happen; "Nothing that made any actual sense. Mainly people's names, such as your aunt's and your uncle's. You also mentioned your drudge at one point."

Vlad sighed in relief, but it was shortly lived as the most despicably sexy smile grew on Dorian's lips, revealing straight, white teeth. His blush only deepened when he realized he had thought of Dorian's smile as _sexy_ one. What in the world had gotten into him all of a sudden?

"Although," The vampire interrupted his mental scolding, snapping him back to the present. "You did, strangely enough, mention _my_ name more than a few times." With that, he flashed Vlad a knowing smile and, once again, Vlad's cheeks turned fire color.

"_And what do you interpret by_ **that**_?_" Vladimir shot him a defiance glare; he did not like how Dorian so easily managed to get under his skin. But it wasn't in the usual, negative way Vlad was used to. Dorian got to him differently than other people usually did. Maybe that was what he hated most about it.

After a few minutes of talking-and teasing from Dorian-the two decided to head out for the day. Staying in Vlad's bedroom to talk about a certain "trip" to a distant place was probably unsafe, considering the very protective, and very dangerous, sleeping uncle nearby.

Vlad got dressed once the other vampire jumped back out the window, where he had came in by the previous night. He then silently made his way down the stairs, making sure to step over the creaky ones, and shushed Ameti once at the last step. She mewled, but made no further protest after Vlad petted her on the head. The hybrid then walked over to the freezer, where he grabbed a couple of O-Positive blood bags and literally sucked them dry, and disposed them in the garbage. He would have preferred them warm, but he was scared the microwave would wake up his sleeping guardians.

He made sure to leave a note on the table, for Otis or Nelly to find once they got up. He wrote he was out for a walk, and would go hang out at Henry's later. Which wasn't a lie, considering he probably would have to go see Henry later. He just wasn't mentioning that he was out for a stroll with a vampire who wanted to taste his Pravus blood.

What a way to describe Dorian. But that's how Otis saw him, and, until that way of thinking was changed, not a word about Dorian to his protective uncle.

As soon as he was out of the house, he spotted Dorian across the street, and joined his in a few quick strides. "So, where are we going?"

Dorian smiled; "Have you already forgotten? You yourself demanded to meet my friend. Have you changed your mind?"

Vlad's eyes widened slightly. "Really? It's okay with you?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know. Maybe because you haven't said one concrete thing about…heck, I don't even know if it's a he or she or whatever! I was getting the impression you didn't want me knowing about them." Vlad looked down at his feet, then back up at Dorian's face. "Not that you wouldn't have a reason to."

The bronze haired vampire's smile dropped some; he understood the meaning behind Vlad's words. He felt bad for having given Vlad the impression that Marie-Anne might be a bad person-it definitely wasn't a good way to start a relationship between two people. But Vlad had all the rights in the world to doubt the unknown, considering what he was going through.

He put a reassuring hand on Vlad's shoulder, and tried to make his voice sound comforting. "Vladimir," he said, "I'm sure that you'll love my friend. She's a true gem. She's a really great person to have around. And, you might not know it, but she already saved your life once before."

Vlad stared at Dorian, awestruck. She had already saved his life, yet he didn't know her? "Really? What's her name?" Vlad asked, suddenly very curious about Dorian's special friend.

"All in due time, Vladimir." He smiled when Vladimir pouted, then continued; "But, since it's early, we can safely use our vampiric speed to get to her faster."

Vlad smiled excitedly; he would get answers to some questions, directly from the source. And at top speed. Now _that_ sounded interesting.

Both at once, they sprinted away from Vlad's home, down and across the streets of Bathory.

Minutes later, they stopped at the edge of the city, where lay a small sector of old homes and abandoned cottages. Vlad looked questioningly about, but said nothing; Dorian's friend was probably hiding somewhere for safety measures. By the impression he got from Dorian on the way there, by how worried he looked and by how fast he was running, he could tell that she needed it, too.

They walked around for a little while longer until they stood in front of a small, wooden one-story house. It looked old, yet manage to give of a welcoming feeling once approached. They stepped onto the small front porch, when Dorian stopped dead in his tracks, causing Vlad to bump right into him. "What's wrong?" he asked, walking around the immobile vampire to face him. "Dorian?"

"Before we go in, Vlad, you must promise me something." Dorian said, taking both of Vlad's arms firmly. "Promise me that you'll believe everything she tells you, unless I mention otherwise."

Confused, Vlad slowly nodded. He didn't know why Dorian had gotten so tense, but he seemed very serious, and, though he didn't know why the vampire would make him promise something so weird, he knew he probably had a good reason to.

"Sure," he said. "Why wouldn't I?"

Dorian ignored Vlad's question, pressing on with his warnings. "Vlad, what you will see in there is all real; no trick of the mind made by her or I. She's as real as you and I, she's of flesh and bones, and though her powers are incredible, she does not have any mind-controlling abilities. Or some strange alien power like the young today are led to believe. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Vlad said, and very seriously at that. From anyone else, he would have most likely believed them over-protective or simply bonkers. But Dorian seemed so straight-forward and worried that Vlad could only believe that he had a very, very good reason to be so pushy. After nodding once to show Dorian he had taken his warnings to heart, Dorian let go of his arms and smiled, awakening butterflies in Vlad's stomach. Vlad only stared at his torso disbelievingly while Dorian knocked casually at the door.

Then, catching Vlad's attention, a feminine voice called from the other side of the door. "Dorian?"

"That's me." Dorian replied, getting closer to the door. "And I have a unique guest with me."

Silence. Then; "Code?"

Dorian sighed, and, as Vlad got closer to the door, he saw the vampire knocking once again on the wooden frame, this time in a certain rhythm. He then said something Vlad believed to be spanish, and a metallic click was herd from the other side.

Dorian turned to look at the younger vampire, and said, "Ready?"

Vladimir nodded, and Dorian twisted the silver knob, granting them access to the interior of the house. Which, to Vlad's surprise, was very modernly decorated. Compared to it's slightly worn-out exterior, the inside of the small house looked like an apartment you could find in town. A very nice one at that, too. The main entrance opened to the living room, where shades of sand lightened the walls, with ocean blue accessories, such as the white couches' pillows and the windows' curtains, to accent it. From the entrance, you could also see the small kitchen, which was also a beige, but the countertop was of a darker brown. All in all, Vlad was very impressed by the décor, considering where they were.

Dorian slipped off his boots on the blue entrance carpet, Vlad following his lead, and walked into the open space. "Marie-Anne?" he called. "Where are you? I truly thought I herd you out there."

Vlad placed his shoes next to Dorian's, and stood beside him, waiting for a response. _So her name is Marie-Anne_, he thought absentmindedly. _Weird…for some reason, it kind of sounds familiar…_

Suddenly, a loud thud was herd from one of the further rooms, which both sent Vlad and Dorian on edge. Dorian quickly side-stepped in the direction of the noise. It's origin was from a room down a narrow hallway, and Vlad automatically thought of it as Marie-Anne's room. "Marie-Anne? Is everything alright?"

The feminine voice answered; "Don't worry, Dorian; I just fell. I'll be out in a minute. In the meantime, why don't you get something for Vlad and yourself? You just have to serve yourself. You do recall where everything is, don't you?"

Dorian smiled, a genuine smile, and invited Vlad to the kitchen. He motioned him to one of the cushioned stools at the counter, while he went to the massive silver refrigerator. "Anything in particular you'd like, Vladimir?"

But, as Dorian quickly came to notice, Vlad's eyes were still glued to Marie-Anne's door. His smile grew, and snapped his fingers to catch Vlad's attention. "She's probably changing. You'll meet her soon, Vladimir, no doubt to it." He grinned, and Vlad smiled back. "Now, what would you like? Something to drink, perhaps?"

Vlad hesitated, but decided to ask anyway, "There wouldn't happen to be any blood bags, would there?"

Dorian smirked, and grabbed a handful of plastic bags from the freezer. "From O-Positive to AB-Negative. Any preferences?"

Vlad stared, disbelieving, at Dorian's display of choices. "How- how did she manage to get all of those? Only hospitals have them, and even Nelly, whose a nurse, has trouble sneaking some out."

"Marie-Anne has a lot of connections," Dorian stated flatly. "She might be young, but she knows how to leave her mark, trust me on that one."

The Hybrid could only nod to show his understanding. Marie-Anne was becoming more and more mysterious, and he was getting slightly anxious at their encounter.

While both he and Dorian drank some O-Positive (microwaved this time, much to Vlad's relief) from two small porcelain cups, the door to Marie-Anne's room opened, and Vlad all but fell from his chair when he got up to finally see Dorian's secret friend. Dorian said something, which Vlad didn't listen to, cautiously walking towards Marie-Anne's room.

And, without realizing it, bumped right into her.

The both fell back, and Dorian choked a laugh when he herd both of them _oof_ at the same time. He left his cup on the counter beside Vlad's, and walked over to them. "Well, that's one way to say hi, I guess." He smirked, and helped Vlad, who was closer, back up on his feet.

Vlad rubbed the bottom of his back, then remembered who he'd knocked over. Flustered, he broke away from Dorian's grasp and saw the girl flat on her back. "I'm so sorry!" He apologized, offering her a hand. "I didn't mean to…um, bump into you."

The girl laughed, and her pale hand reached out to take Vlad's. "No harm done. I was much more surprised than hurt." She giggled some more, and Vlad easily pulled her up-even without his vampiric strength, Marie-Anne didn't feel very heavy.

Vlad was about to apologize again, when his words got caught up in his throat and breathing was mostly forgotten. Upon seeing Marie-Anne's face, once she had brushed strands of her long, curly brown hair away from her vividly blue eyes, Vlad could only think of one thing.

_She looks just like my mom._

Okay, put the pale complexion aside, and minus the fact that she looked the same age he did, Marie-Anne undeniably resembled his deceased mother. The same mother that had died in the house fire a few years back. The mother he thought he'd never see again, that he'd never see her loving features while he lived.

But they were all there, all in the stranger Marie-Anne's face.

"Vlad?" Marie-Anne asked, worried when the hybrid seemed to take on an even paler skin shade then he already had. "Vlad, is everything alright?"

Said Vlad slowly stepped back, until he hit the opposite hallway wall. She even _sounded_ like his mom. Vlad's gaze found Dorian's, who had a very kind-yet stern-look in his eyes. He then looked back at Marie-Anne, who wore a light, yellow summer dress, the kind _his mom_ used to wear when she was of the world of the living.

But she wasn't. That much he was deadly certain of.

Invisible hands choked Vladimir's throat, and his voice sounded strained when he spoke. "Who…who are you?"

He saw Marie-Anne stiffen, and she gave Dorian a worried glance. He nodded, telling her it was okay to say… whatever she had to say. She sighed shakily, and took a step towards Vlad. "Vlad," she said, looking straight into his eyes, hoping he would see that she said next was the real and utter truth. "Believe me or not, I am your younger twin sister."

**0O0 *insert dramatic music here* Who would of known? Lol some of you probably would have guessed this, but wait until you read the next chapter! Marie-Anne and Dorian's friendship goes waaaay back, and the next chpater will mainly be dedicated to the long story of Marie-Anne's past! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and will enjoy the future chapters as well! Sairionata out! C:**


	4. Chapter 3: To listen to a Story

**Hellllooooo! Long time no typed ;D Yeah I guess I knda lied in thr previous chapter...this must have been my quickest update ever! 0-0 It won't happen everyday, though!**

**Anyways, in this chapter, there is some character bashing. Oh, and, if you're lucky, a little love c;**

**If there are mistakes, notify me. I will check it out!**

**Enjoy and comments are loved!**

"_**What**_?"

It was all Vlad could say as he stared, disbelieving, at the teenage girl that stood in front of him. To say that it was unexpected was to say the very least, and the fact that Marie-Anne-this _stranger_-could be his sister was completely impossible in Vlad's mind. He couldn't have a sister. He would have known, wouldn't he?

It was that little part of him, the little part that doubted, that probably scared him the most.

Hurt shivering in her eyes, Marie-Anne understood Vlad's unwillingness to believe her. Even for her, when she had learned oh so many years ago that this boy-The Pravus-was her twin brother, she all but laughed at Dorian, who had been the one to tell her at the time. "Vladimir," she said, reaching out towards Vlad, who cringed back. "I know it's hard to take it in, but I'll have to ask you to listen. I'll explain everything to you, from the very beginning, if you'll just listen to me. You can decide in the end if you'll believe it or not. I just want you to know my side of the story. My life, if you will. Please, Vlad? All I'm asking is for you to listen."

Vlad looked at Marie-Anne through his raven-black bangs, and feelings clashed inside of him; confusion, distrust, doubt-yet he saw, in her eyes, in the way she even stood, that she wanted a chance. A chance to explain herself, a chance to tell him everything about her past. She was willing to tell him her life's story, so as long as he would listen.

His eyes then flickered to Dorian, who smiled anxiously at him. His promise to the vampire then came back to him, and now his warnings made crystal clear sense to Vlad. Dorian had foreseen this. He knew Vlad would doubt Marie-Anne. That he would have all the reasons in the world to, but he had made Vlad swear that he would listen to her.

And, Vlad told himself, a promise is a promise. He couldn't go back on it now.

He sighed heavily, and straightened up to meet Marie-Anne's hopeful gaze. "Okay," he said, "I'll listen."

A soft sigh escaped her lips, and she smiled at Vlad. A beautiful smile, Vlad might add. "Thank you, Vlad. Now, how about going in the living room? I have quite the story to tell you, and you'll probably want to sit down to hear it."

A couple of minutes later, Vlad and Dorian sat on the couch, warm cup of blood in their hands, while Marie-Anne sat on a matching armchair opposite of them. She held a small bag of Tropical Skittles in her hands, munching on one of them while they all got seated.

"So," Vlad said, anxiety building up in his stomach. "I'm listening." He drank from his cup, but his eyes never left Marie-Anne.

After she finished her mouthful of Skittles, she smiled at Vlad and Dorian, then started. "Where should I begin?" She thought out loud, rubbing her forehead in concentration. "Oh, yes, I know!"

She cleared her throat, and said, "Well, on the day of your birth-of _our_ birth- I was, to say it plainly, unexpected. Even the doctors were surprised when Mellina was still in labor once you were out. Mom was shocked, yet she kept going until I was out. And when the nurses told her it was a little girl, she was overjoyed. Or so I've been told." She smiled to herself at the thought. But her face soon dropped into a mixture of sadness and anger. "But someone else wasn't. For him, I was a hitch, an unplanned obstacle in his life-long plan to become Pravus. And what do you do with obstacles?"

Though the question was most likely directed at herself, Vlad felt obliged to answer. "You get rid of them." He whispered.

Marie-Anne solemnly nodded. "And that's exactly what Tomas Tod tried to do."

Bewilderment shot through Vlad at the mentioning of his father's name. "_Dad_ tried to get rid of you?"

Again, Marie-Anne bopped her head, and she spoke the next words dryly, "He tried to kill me, Vlad. On the day of our birth. What kind of right-minded man would try to kill their newborn baby?" She hissed the last word, hatred dripping in her voice. "He waited until you and I were alone in the check-up room with one of the nurses before he knocked her out and made his way towards our bassinettes. He then pinched my nose and blocked my mouth so I couldn't breath. It would of seemed normal, you see, if I would have suffocated. I was a fragile baby, and unplanned twins often lead to one of them being weaker. It wasn't rare for one of them to have health problems and die 'just like that'." Tears rolled down her cheeks as Vlad listened in horror at what his father almost accomplished. He couldn't believe Tomas, his devoted father, would have done something like this.

But he couldn't ignore the raw hatred in Marie-Anne's words, nor could he ignore her angry tears.

"Luckily enough, someone passed by and saw this. He immediately ran in the room and pushed Tomas to the ground, and made himself a barrier between him and myself." Marie-Anne smiled through tears, and her gaze fell on Dorian. "Since that day, I owe Dorian my life."

Surprised, the hybrid turned his gaze to Dorian, who had a sheepish smile on. "You saved her?" He asked, disbelievingly. Not that he doubted his life-saving skills (he had witnessed them the previous night); it just didn't fit as to why Dorian would have been at the hospital that specific day.

The vampire, as though reading his thoughts, said, "Your mother, Mellina, and I met through your father. One of the good things he did." He smirked. "Besides the point, I was visiting her to congratulate her of your birth, when something caught my attention. I turned around, and, to my utter disbelief, I saw Tomas trying to choke an infant in the medical compartment you were installed in. May I let you know it's quite the terrifying sight, and I most certainly would not stand by and let it happen. So I rushed into the room, shoved Tomas away from the baby and barricaded his way to the infant. What happened afterwards simply bewildered me."

"What did happen?" Vlad questioned, completely absorbed by the story.

"Well…" Dorian said, recalling the moment as though it all happened the previous day.

"_What in the blazes do you think you're doing?" Dorian hollered at the fallen man. "Have you gone completely mad?"_

_Tomas, who slowly stood from the ground where he had been pushed, dusted himself off as if nothing had happened. "You'll have to be a little more precise, Dorian."_

_Dorian's glare acquired a new level of intensity as he stared at the man before him. "Do _**not**_ play games with me, Tomas. You know perfectly well of what I am speaking of."_

_The other vampire seemed unbothered by Dorian's threatening presence. "I am simply trying to get rid of a mistake." He said, matter-of-factly, staring through the man as though he were a window. "Now, move out of the way; my __**daughter **__wants to see her father."_

_Dorian's eyes widened, as he looked quickly behind him and saw, around the newborn's little wrist, a pink bracelet which read, in scribbled handwriting: Marie-Anne Tod._

_His eyes were soon back on Tomas, disbelief and anger tightening every fiber of his body. "You were murdering your own child?" He spoke, his voice dangerously low._

"_My child? Please. She is a flaw. She was never supposed to be born. My prize for all my hard work is beside her. Now __**he**__ is my child. My Pravus son, Vladimir Tod."_

_Dorian stood, disgusted, between what he now saw as a madman and his next victim. "Children are not prizes nor are they flaws, Tomas, and for you to so openly say so just proves what a idiotic man you are."_

_Tomas snapped his teeth; Dorian had finally managed to get to him. "I'm idiotic? This is coming from the same man who drinks blood from his own kind! And, might I remind you that that girl is mine, and I can do whatever I want with her. So if I don't want her, well, that's nobody's business but mine!"_

_Annoyed and aggravated, Dorian rose his voice. "She does not only belong to you. She's as much yours as she is Mellina's. And I'm entirely confident that she wouldn't want you choking her daughter to death!"_

_As Tomas was about to reply, a low moan sent them both froze them on spot. The nurse, which Tomas had knocked out, was coming back to her senses._

_Panicked and pissed, Tomas glared at Dorian, "Move out of my way, Dorian."_

"_Make me," he shot back, defiant._

_Tomas growled, his eyes flickering between the vampire barrier and the nurse. "If you don't, I'll kill the human."_

_Dorian hissed between his clenched teeth. It was either the nurse or the baby. He knew how fast Tomas was, and he knew he was dead serious about his threat. He wouldn't be fast enough to save both._

_Unless…_

_Dorian hated himself for thinking of doing something of the sorts, but he had no choice. He sent a telepathic apology to Mellina and, before Tomas could do anything, Dorian picked up Marie-Anne, grabbed as many blankets from the storage as he could and wrapped her in them. He then headed for the room's window and crashed through it, back to the window and shielding the small bundle with his body. He slid across the hospital's lower roof and jumped down, running at vampiric speed away from the hospital._

The last thing Dorian saw before escaping the building was Tomas Tod glaring in his direction.

"Afterwards, Tomas told everyone that some strange man had kidnapped his baby girl, and people were on the lookout for her during weeks. I couldn't stay there, with Marie-Anne in my care, so I left for England, where I entrusted her to my drudge, which at the time was a kind-hearted lady by the name of Sophia. I returned to Bathory shortly after, and by then, Tomas had lead everyone to believe that Marie-Anne was dead. I would have left that same night if it weren't for the fact that I saw Mellina devastated by her lost. I couldn't stand it, so I waited until I was sure Tomas wasn't home and told Mellina everything. She was overjoyed, knowing she was alive, yet she knew she could never tell anyone about her. If she did, it might have meant her permanent loss, and Mellina would rather have died than risk it. She was fine with just the blessing of knowing her daughter lived. And, though she never saw her, she loved her, and she always asked me about her. Right up until the very last day."

Vlad sat, awestruck, on the couch next to Dorian. "So mom knew about Marie-Anne."

Dorian herd the hidden hurt in Vlad's voice, and immediately tried to comfort him. "Vlad, understand your mother; she was only keeping Marie-Anne safe. If Tomas would have known that she was aware that Marie-Anne lived, it might have meant pain for both of them."

Vlad nodded solemnly, and turned his head to look at Marie-Anne, who was sobbing loudly. Somehow feeling hollow on the inside for what his father had done, or had tried to, he realized what kind of man Tomas Tod truly was. And, though he didn't like it, it was the truth, he was sure about it now. The truth isn't always pretty, and he lived by that fact.

But he couldn't stop his own eyes to water as the truth of Marie-Anne Tod cleared for him as well. She was his little twin sister, there was no doubt about it now.

Slowly, he got up, crossed the space between himself and Marie-Anne, and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She made no signs of protest, and she leaned her head against Vlad's own shoulder.

"Shh," he soothed, "It's okay, little sis."

Of course, this only made her cry louder, however now it was of joy.

Dorian sat there, staring at the two of them, smiling to himself. He couldn't help but think how Mellina would have loved to see the two of them together.

After all the crying and the sobbing had stopped, and that Vlad and Dorian had renewed their blood-cups, they all sat in the kitchen, while Marie-Anne ate a salad.

Dorian had told Vlad the rest of the story, that Sophia had raised Marie-Anne until she was fourteen. The caretaker had then gotten sick and died from it, leaving a small fortune for Marie-Anne. This explaining how she was living on her own and had managed to buy and re-decorate the small house. Dorian visited her often, and passed off as her guardian whenever it was necessary.

"So, she's a half-vampire, too?" Vlad asked Dorian, but he was eyeing Marie-Anne's meal in slight misunderstanding. Dorian saw this, and laughed. "Yes, she's a hybrid like you. Her appetite just differs from ours."

"Wait, so she doesn't drink blood?" Vlad asked, surprised.

Dorian shook his head. "No, she's not completely immune to the need of blood. She just-"

"—Needs much less than norm to be satisfied." Marie-Anne finished his sentence, smiling. She took the remaining bite of lettuce and dumped her plate in the sink. "You physically got more from dad's side, and I got more from mom's. That's why I can eat everyday food and it fills me as much as blood does for you."

"Oh." Vlad said. "So how much blood do you take, then?"

"One donation every two to three weeks." She replied flatly. "And that's because I have to, or else Dorian freaks out."

Dorian rolled his eyes and Vlad's jaw dropped. He could barely pass a day without one, so the fact that she could go weeks without blood both impressed and worried him. This definitely couldn't be good for her health.

"Anyways, if you'll excuse me, I'll go take my shower. I won't be long, but please, don't be shy to take anything you want." And with that, Marie-Anne left the two of them in the kitchen and disappeared down the hall.

The two of them sat in a uncomfortable silence for a couple of minutes, until they both herd the shower turn on.

Dorian smiled at Vlad. "So, how are you taking everything?"

Vlad shrugged. "My dad's a jerk and I have a little twin sister I never knew of. I can't really do anything about either, so what the heck. Might as well go along with it."

Dorian laughed. "Well, that's one way to take it."

Silence once again sat between them, this time less uneasy. Though it didn't stay very long either, since a question that had been gnawing at Vlad's brain popped out. "Do you like Marie-Anne?"

Dorian stared blankly at a suddenly flustered Vlad. "What?"

Vlad gulped loudly, then re-asked his question. "Do you like-like, really like- Marie-Anne?"

The older vampire's eyebrows furrowed. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, you two just seem close." Vlad sheepishly said, "And you're always smiling when you look at her. I just thought that…"

He left his sentence hanging in the air, but he knew Dorian had understood what he meant. He felt so embarrassed for asking, though. It really wasn't any of his business if he liked her or not. But he had to ask him. He felt almost forced to.

The vampire scratched the back of his head, sighing. "Marie-Anne's very kind and sweet, but I honestly have no love-like feelings for her. Maybe a fraternal or parental sort of love, but I don't like her as, let's say, my girlfriend."

"Oh." For some reason, Vlad felt relieved. "Do you actually like anybody?"

Again, the question somehow forced it's way out. He hoped Dorian didn't find him stupid for asking so many dumb questions. He sure felt like it, though.

"Like? Hmmm…" Dorian actually thought about what to say next. "I guess you could say it like that. Yes, I do like someone. "

"Really? Who?"

Vlad wanted to kick himself.

Dorian looked at Vlad, an eyebrow raised. "Curious, are we?"

Vlad blushed, his eyes suddenly finding the pattern on the countertop's surface very interesting. "I-uh…I was just…you know-um-wondering…" Why did he feel so embarrassed?

The full-fledged vampire smirked, that smirk that Vlad so totally sexy, and he leaned his upper body on the hard surface in front of the flustered hybrid, resting on his forearms. "I'm not saying otherwise."

Vlad's gaze unwillingly peeked upwards, right into Dorian's beautiful blue eyes. Okay, something was definitely going on. Sexy smirk, beautiful eyes…Vlad had never referred to anything on anyone as "sexy". Beautiful, yes, but not sexy. And now that he had a good look at his face, he took in all the little details, such as a very faint scar above his left eyebrow, or how otherwise perfectly flawless it was. Those are the sort of things he never pays any attention to about people, yet for Dorian, he couldn't stop searching for them.

"Vladimir," Dorian said, snapping Vlad out his thought bubble. He noticed then how close he had gotten to the other man's face, and pulled his head away, his face burning. "I'm, um, sorry about that…I didn't mean to-"

"Close your eyes, Vlad." Dorian ordered softly.

The young hybrid stopped, mid-sentence. "What?"

"Close your eyes," The vampire repeated, this time more firmly.

Vlad, unsure, shut his eyes. Why did he listen to what Dorian told him? Oh well. He didn't care at the moment. His brain was too occupied trying to slow down his heart from thump-thumping so fast and his stomach from doing front and backward flips. Vlad thought that he might be getting sick, but it was highly unlikely, because feeling sick didn't feel good. This did. Somehow.

"No peeking," Dorian whispered, and he leaned in, his face dangerously close to Vlad's. He could hear his heartbeat, and he smiled to himself when he noticed it was as eccentric as his. He had waited long for this and he sure wasn't going to let it slip away.

Then, ever so softly, he placed a kiss on Vlad's smooth lips.

It was the best one he'd ever tasted.

Vlad's eyes shot open at the contact, shocked by Dorian's kiss. He had never expected it to happen. Sure, they were great friends. And Vlad couldn't think, at the moment, someone he had trusted more than Dorian. But he had loved Meredith, and, up until that point, he wasn't sure if he was over Snow. And he had kissed both, Snow's kisses surpassing Meredith's by far.

But the kiss Dorian was giving him was better, in so many more ways than one. It was much more soft, yet stronger, and Vlad tasted a world of meaning in this one kiss from Dorian than he ever had with anyone.

Vlad's eyes fluttered closed, all of his tangled feelings and questions finally dispersing, and he kissed Dorian back. Dorian, happy to no end, rounded the counter and lifted Vlad from the stool, wrapping his arms around him. Vlad, on the other hand, threw his arms around Dorian's neck, and he standing on his toes. Because Dorian was so much frickin taller than he was.

They kissed for what seemed like hours before they heard a sneeze from the hallway behind Vlad.

Vlad quickly broke away from the kiss and turned to see Marie-Anne, standing there, her blue bathrobe tightly snug around her. A towel twisted on her head, she had a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Damn," she said, rubbing her nose. "Stupid dust."

The hybrid's face reddened once more, and Dorian chuckled. "Were you watching?"

Marie-Anne shrugged innocently. "Hey, I'm just happy you two finally got together."

With that, she disappeared into her room, shutting the door behind her.

Vlad shot Dorian a questioning gaze, but Dorian simply shrugged back. Vlad opened his mouth to ask something, but it quickly died in another kiss from Dorian. His Dorian. Now he liked the sound of that.

**And First Base is done! YOUHOU! About frickin time I made them kiss, too! T-T Anyways hoped you enjoyed and please, review!**


	5. Chapter 4: To meet some Family

**Hey everyone! It's been a while! (understatement much) So I finally got around to typing up a new chapter... hope you all enjoy it ;D**

**Usual warnings here characters (except Marie-Anne) do not belong to me but to Heather Brewer... Oh and correction on my part this story is SHOUNEN-AI and not YAOI... sorry! :P I learned the difference not so long ago (because there IS one) but I won't change it in the summary because it just won't fit. D: I do know the difference though and sorry if anyone was expecting actual yaoi! (not saying there won't be smexy time later... ;P ). Rated T for now couples DorianXVlad maybe some OCXHenry later.**

**Also, note to Amphibious Draculina- I DID write the first chapter of the fanfic I promised you, but Fanfiction is being weird. You can easily find it in the T-rated section-it's called Falling for the Wrong side, and I hope that you (and anyone else who might be interested, because it's a VladXDorian fic as well) that you like it!**

**Anywhoot I hope you enjoy and RxR are loved and very appreciated!**

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Once again sitting in the living room, Vlad, Dorian and Marie-Anne all quietly chatted to one another about past, present and future alike. The atmosphere was enjoyable for all three of them, especially for Dorian and Vlad, who were now cuddled up on the couch.

Vlad thought happily how easily he could get used to this. He hadn't felt so comfortable in so long, so appeased to be around other people. Not since he had last seen Snow, and, even then, the whole ordeal had been heartbreaking.

Alas, he knew there were pressing issues to discuss that couldn't be left unattended.

Marie-Anne, now munching on some Sour Skittles, cleared her throat to catch the attention of the two lovebirds across from her. "Look," she said, "Don't get me wrong here-you guys are adorably cute together, but we really need to plan our next move."

Reluctantly, Vlad and Dorian nodded in agreement, and the vampire spoke. "You mentioned a place where we could hide from Alumno and Elysia. Where would that be?"

Marie-Anne put her candy bag aside, then turned her attention back to Dorian. "Well, we already know that Europe and Russia are out of the question. That would be like posting Vlad directly to his death."

Vlad, puzzled, asked, "I can sort of understand Europe, since Tomas (he decided to no longer refer to his father as 'dad') knows it like the back of his hand, but why not Russia? Otis actually has a friend there-"

"You mean Vikas?" Marie-Anne interrupted. Vlad looked at her, surprised, and then she shook her head. "He might let you believe otherwise, but he's actually an important aspect to Tomas's group. He's like the vice-leader, if you'd like."

Vlad's blood drained from his face, a sinking feeling installing itself in his gut. "No. Not Vikas."

Marie-Anne nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so."

"But he was so kind to me," Vlad said, almost disbelievingly.

"That's the point," Dorian hissed. "They want you to think they'll do you no harm, so that you're more vulnerable when the right time comes."

The hybrid slumped in Dorian's embrace, feeling suddenly heavier than usual. "Is there no one I can trust?"

Marie-Anne smiled a little at her brother's over-dilemma, but she understood why he was that way. "You can trust us," she said, trying to lighten him up. "And you most certainly can trust Otis, even if he states otherwise."

Vlad's head snapped up at the mention of his uncle's name. "Otis? I had almost forgotten about him. What will I tell him?" He said, talking more to himself then to anyone else in the room.

Dorian answered anyways. "The truth. That's what you should tell him. It's the very least he deserves right now. And this goes for you as well, Marie-Anne."

Marie-Anne shifted uncomfortable in her armchair, not meeting the vampire's gaze. "What will I tell him? 'Hello, I'm Marie-Anne Tod, your long-lost niece. It's nice to meet you'? For some reason, I don't think it would pass well."

"You don't know that," Dorian said, "Besides, you have a striking resemblance to Mellina. If he doesn't believe you, that Nelly lady will."

Vlad added, "She might actually think you're her ghost or something. You look exactly like mom did. No joke."

She visibly hesitated, but then bobbed her head. "I guess I should. It would make things simpler when we explain why we have to bring Vlad to Yuma."

Dorian and Vlad exchanged puzzled gazes. "Yuma? Is that where you thought about?"

Marie-Anne smiled. "It's perfect, think about it. It's _the_ sunniest place on earth, and, by personally visiting it some time back, we can get a very public spot. Tomas won't be able to do us any harm, since getting enough sunscreen to protect him and his followers would cost a fortune. Not that he has any followers in Yuma- a good friend of mine told me- so trip expanses would also play in. There isn't enough night time anyways for him to make a good move in the place we'll be in. Dorian, obviously, you'll have to stay indoors often, but the Radisson Hotel-the one we'll be staying in- has many activities to keep you and Vlad occupied-and safe." She seemed satisfied with her sense of reasoning, and waited impatiently for feedback.

Dorian, after processing everything, grinned. "It's simple in itself –Tomas would likely think it such a stupid possibility that he'd never go there. Not that he would- he's got this nasty sun allergy. Many of his followers do too, so he couldn't plan anything during the daytime. And, like you said, there wouldn't be enough nighttime for him to do anything concrete. Great thinking on your part, Marie-Anne."

She smiled proudly, feeling confident about the plan.

Vlad, on the other hand, was still a little skeptical about it. "How are we going to afford it? I mean, it's a great plan- but it'll probably cost us a whole bunch. I personally do not have the money for it. And, what about our sun sensibility? We'll be stuck indoors all the time? You might not know, but I haven't tried burning myself in the sun, and I honestly have no intentions to."

Marie-Anne thought about what her brother had brought up, but only momentarily. "I'm not allergic to the sun's rays, Vlad, and I don't think you are either." Vlad shot her a questioning look. "Sophia was cooking one day when I was small, and she told me to go play outside. She had no idea I could instantly burn. The whole day passed and Dorian came by on one of his weekly visits. You should have been there to hear him when he screamed in horror at Sophia's casual 'She's been outside all day'. I never saw him freak out as much as he had. After five minutes, I made my way back inside, unharmed, and headed for my bath, stopping to say hello to Dorian. His face was priceless."

Marie-Anne laughed at the memory, while Dorian seemed pretty embarrassed. Vlad was happy that he was the flustered one for once.

"Anyways, point aside, I don't think there is any danger for you if you're in the sun. We could still check, like let your fingertips contact some of the sun's rays, but I think you'll be a-okay. And, we'll get a bunch of sunscreen for Dorian."

The raven-haired hybrid felt a little sorry for Dorian, who'd be stuck indoors, but figured that the vampire in question wouldn't complain about it. He was just that type of person.

"But what about the expanses?" Vlad asked.

Marie-Anne smirked knowingly. "You know the friend I mentioned earlier? Well, he's the son of the guy who owns the place. He's really nice, even though he tends to be clumsy. In other words, he can let us in for a very good price, if not for free."

Vlad was certainly impressed by the way his twin seemed to have thought every last detail of her plan thorough. Although… "Only two more thing to check."

"And what would that be?" Marie-Anne asked, a bemused light dancing in her eyes.

Her brother laughed. "We still have to talk to Otis and Henry about it."

Marie-Anne shoulders slumped slightly. "I don't think it'll be a problem for Otis, since it's for your safety. But I have no idea about that friend of yours."

Vlad smiled; Marie-Anne had referred to Henry as "friend" instead of "drudge". It wouldn't mean anything to anyone else, but it did to Vlad.

Dorian chuckled, then said, "Knowing the little I do about Henry, that won't be of any problem. He's loyal by nature, and I don't think he'll hate the idea of a free vacation to the sunniest place on earth."

Marie-Anne looked slightly puzzled, not really understanding the knowing gaze Dorian and Vladimir shared. She shrugged it off, and got up to stretch.

"Where are you going?" The vampire questioned, as Mellina's daughter walked away from the living room and to the entrance hall.

"Well," she said, "there's only one way to find out if they're willing to let us go. Come on, I have family to go visit."

_**+Later+**_

The trio had decided it would be in their best interest to visit Otis and Nelly first, considering they would be the ones who made the final decision about Vlad.

They walked quietly yet hastily, and they agreed that Dorian and Vlad should go in first, then introduce Marie-Anne to the two fiancées. It might be lest of a shock for them to first take in that Dorian was still alive then present Marie-Anne as Mellina and Tomas's unknown child right off the bat.

Once they arrived, though, they didn't expect Nelly to be taking care of her garden out in front yard. Neither that she would notice Dorian and Vlad holding hands before they could do anything about them, or that she would so easily spot Marie-Anne standing right next to them.

She stood, white as a sheet, her grip on her little shovel loosening, letting it drop to the earth. Her brown eyes round, filled with a mixture of confusion and raw bewilderment.

Vlad let go of Dorian's hand and ran to Nelly, jumping over the fence. "Nelly, I can explain-"

Although her gaze wasn't on him, but on the ghost of her passed friend, Mellina, standing flesh and bones a matter of meters away from her. "Mellina?" She whispered, lost in the memories of her young friendship with her best friend. The specter looked exactly like Mellina had, only she was much younger than at her time of perish. "Mellina, is that you?"

Marie-Anne felt uneasy, not knowing what to answer the stranger standing in front of her. She shook her head slowly, and Vlad put a hand on his aunt's shoulder. "Nelly, this isn't Mom. Her name is Marie-Anne."

"Marie-Anne…" The woman repeated. She looked at Vlad momentarily, than back at the teenaged girl. She snapped out of her trance, shaking her head, and suddenly wore a wide and beautiful smile on her face. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear, if I scared you. You just reminded me so much of an old friend of mine. Don't mind me, okay? I'm Nelly." She said, and held out her hand to Mellina's look-alike. "And your name is Marie-Anne? That's a really strange coincidence, you know."

Marie-Anne accepted Nelly's hand and shook it once. "How come?"

Nelly smiled, though not as brightly as before, and answered; "That's what my friend wanted to name her daughter…if she ever had one," She added, rather flustered.

Dorian gave a nervous glance to Vlad, which he shot back. "Actually," Vlad said, his hand still on his guardian's shoulder, "Nelly, um, this might sound strange and absurd, but… Marie-Anne _is_, in fact, my sister. My twin sister, to be more exact."

There was a heavy moment of silence, in which Nelly fixated Marie-Anne. Her face was blank, expressionless, as she walked closer to the fidgety teenager. Her hand lifted from her side, and she slowly approached it to the girl's familiar face. "I thought you were dead," Nelly suddenly whispered to Marie-Anne, turning her face side to side. "I thought you had died in some ditch somewhere. I never let myself believed I would ever meet you."

Marie-Anne smiled through fresh tears, not knowing exactly why she was crying. "I never thought I would ever meet you, to be honest."

Nelly grinned, and found herself crying as well. "Oh my goodness… you sound exactly like your mother used to. She would be so proud to see how beautiful you've grown."

They both sobbed, and hugged each other tightly. "You have no idea how happy I am to finally meet you." Nelly said through small hiccups. "Oh my goodness, thank the Lord that you're still alive and well."

They both laughed, Vlad and Dorian smiling from the side. Otis silently made his way outside, to see what all the noisy commotion was about, a puzzling look upon his face. "Might I know what all the rejoicing is about?"

Everyone turned towards him –Dorian included, which Otis noticed with a risen brow- but he had no time to ask any questions as Nelly jumped up and down like a excited five-year-old. "Otis! Otis! Oh my goodness Otis look!" She nearly dragged Marie-Anne around the white picked fence and made her stand next to her. "It's Marie-Anne! Marie-Anne is still alive! Can you believe it?"

Otis looked at the teenager, confused. She looked sheepishly at the ground. "I'm sorry, Nelly, but I'm afraid I'm not following you."

Nelly dramatically sighed, as though her loved one had missed something crucial. "Otis, this is Marie-Anne! _The_ Marie-Anne! Tomas and Mellina's _supposedly_ dead daughter!"

Otis's eyes widened slightly, and he took a few steps toward Marie-Anne. "Now that you mention it, you do share a striking resemblance with Mellina." Although he was still unsure. "But Tomas had told me you had been left to die in some murky hole of some sorts."

"That's just one of the many lies he's led you to believe," Dorian said, catching everyone's attention, especially Otis's defensive gaze.

"Dorian," Otis nodded. "Nice to see you're still of the living as well." Dorian formally nodded back. "I am although quite perplexed by the accusation you bring on my dead kin. What lies do you speak of?"

"Of Marie-Anne, for one," Dorian retorted flatly. "You can obviously see he's mislead you on that end. And I wouldn't be so quick as to assuming that I'm insulting the dead, either."

Otis's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What do you mean, Dorian?"

"I mean exactly what I say, Otis. That Tomas Tod is still very much alive."

Disbelief washed over Otis and Nelly's features, but Otis's face was radically overcame by anger. "I will not have you come here and disturb my family for you to tell your senseless blasphemies!"

Dorian's put his hands up in defense and calmly said, "Why would I come to your home and risk having you rip my head off just to tell you lies? I would have liked to hope that I had made a better impression with you, Otis. Personally, I have more pressing issues than walking around crying wolf if there hadn't been any. But there is one, and he has blood running through his veins…figuratively speaking."

Otis glared at Dorian, as though he wished him pain with his mind alone. He would have probably managed if Vlad didn't now stand between the two, more out of the meaning it brought than actually trying to break them up. "Otis, Dorian isn't lying." He told his uncle, nearly pleading. "I saw him in the clearing last night."

"As did I," Marie-Anne added, stepping up beside her twin. "Uncle, Tomas is alive. Our father walks among us, his goals fowl and tainted. We have to return him to where he belongs, but we cannot do it alone." She took in a shaky breath, and felt a warm hand in hers. She smiled at Vlad, who demonstrated his support the only way the moment allowed how. "We need all the help we can get. Please, Uncle Otis, if not for humanity and vampirekind's sake, if not for _my_ sake, than for Vlad's- believe us when we say that your brother lives, and he needs to be stopped."

In that moment, Nelly and Otis were both flooded with an ocean of memories, some of it's waves carrying the images of Tomas and Mellina Tod. The nostalgia of their passed cherished ones revived by the young's flames, they saw, in their eyes, the unraveled stories of their family's past. Yet neither could deny that, before them, stood two unique, young adults, and, no matter how much they looked like their parents, they walked very different paths than the others before them had.

The heavy silence between them carried something knew for the two guardians, but it's identity remained hidden. Otis approached Marie-Anne, Mellina's daughter by blood, and took her other pale hand in his own. He smiled, somewhat unstable yet strong. "For the things I have herd of your mother, and what I have presently herd from you, Marie-Anne Tod, I can tell you're as stubborn and as loving as she was. That's a compliment on my part, trust me."

Marie-Anne smiled back. "Only if you'll trust us."

Otis chuckled, nodding. "But I'll only close the deal if you promise to make yourself more present in our lives." He said, stealing a quick look in Nelly's way. "I speak for the both of us when I say we would love to have you in our lives."

The girl in question sniffled, and took her hands back to hug the tall blonde man in front of her. "Deal," she said, and Otis hugged her back. Nelly soon joined them, as well as Vlad. Dorian chose to stay on the sidelines, leaving them this family moment to themselves.

After all the official presentations were made, and after the rather formal apology from Otis to Dorian, the group headed indoors to talk more seriously about the situation at hand. Vlad quickly headed up the stairs, mentioning he just wanted to change quickly. He had dropped a bit of blood on his T-shirt earlier at Marie-Anne's place, and direly wanted to put on a clean one.

After switching tops, though, he turned to see Nelly, standing in his doorway, about to knock on the door. "May I come in?" She asked, smiling.

Vlad nodded, but did so with hidden suspicion. It only grew when Nelly closed the door behind her, her sweet smile still wide. She approached her nephew before whispering to him, "If you think I didn't notice you and that Dorian fellow earlier, you must take me for a very stupid woman."

The vampire hybrid's face colored scarlet, yet again. "I'm sorry?" He whispered back, and his aunt just giggled.

"Oh, you're not getting away with it." She said, her eyes bright with a mischievous glint. "We have something more serious to talk to about now, but you can be sure that we will talk about it later. Don't worry, though, I won't mention it to Otis unless you want me to. It'll be our secret…for now."

With that, she turned around, and left a perplexed Vladimir behind her. "That Nelly…" he said to himself, groaning. "Well, at least Otis doesn't know."

For now.

Those two words scared Vlad in a way he never thought they would.


	6. Chapter 5: To go or not to Go

**Sorry everyone for such a late update! Thing is, since last time, I went through a MAJOR writer's block (I literally couldn't type up a single good sentence) and I got dumped by a whole truckload of homework by my teachers...then came the studying for my final exams...which I should be doing right about now...**

**But I felt the need to post this up for you guys! It's been so long, and I fell terrible making you wait!**

**Okay, so not much happens in this...rather shamefully short chapter, but it's needed to make the story move along. I'll have a more exciting chapter up soon! I promise! I only have this week of exams to go through, and then I'M DONE for the SUMMER! OH HECK YEAH!**

**Anyways, normal disclaimers...characters don't belong to me (duh) except for Marie-Anne, but the story concept is entirely mine...or is it?**

**I'd like to try something with you guys, if you don't mind...Read the chapter first, and, if you want to, check out my author's notice at the end. I'd like to know your opinion!**

**Enjoy and reviews are well loved! I'll actually answer all of the lovely comments you leave for me in the next chapter (I'd do it now, but I REALLY have to get back to studying!)**

**Onwards with the story! :D**

"And that's why we have to go to Yuma. It's our only chance against Alumno and Elysia."

Marie-Anne fixed her uncle and her aunt determinedly. They had been sitting around the kitchen table for hours, catching up a bit on lost time, but mainly to talk about the trip to the sunny destination. Mellina's children, along with Dorian, had gone multiple times over the who, what, where, when and why's, explaining every detail as thoroughly as possible. They focused a lot of the "why's" on their father's mischievous group and…well, everyone who wanted Vlad dead.

Even so, Otis and Nelly were more than reluctant to let the trio go. "I can perfectly protect the both of you right here." Otis protested, "And with Dorian's help, I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Besides," Nelly said, "That boy that will allow you're stay at the hotel can't let you stay there for free eternally."

"It wouldn't be eternally;" Dorian said, "Just a year, and even that's exaggerating."

"Only long enough for Vlad to get comfortable with his powers." Marie-Anne added. "That way, we'll be better prepared against our enemies."

"Than why don't you go to Russia? At least Vikas will be there to host the three of you, which I'm sure he's more than willing to do." Otis passed a hand through his hair, losing patience about the situation.

Vlad shook his head, and finally spoke up. He had remained silent throughout a big part of the discussion, throwing in bits and pieces here and there. "We can't go see Vikas; he's on dad's side."

Dread and resentment washed over the blonde vampire's features. "You _can't_ be serious."

"I thought the same thing when I heard it, but it's true," Vladimir said, empathizing with his uncle's disbelief. "Vikas is actually his right-hand man."

Otis cussed, which sounded alien to Vlad and his aunt, who knew it wasn't like Otis to swear. "And to say I brought you right to him last winter! To think that I nearly handed you over right to that crazed group!"

"You didn't know, Uncle Otis," Marie-Anne soothed, "You can't blame yourself for not knowing."

"She's got a point, Otis," Dorian said. "Ignorance was bliss in this case, though, since Vikas _did_ teach Vladimir many useful things, and that he remained unharmed by the Russian Vampire."

The blonde vampire had to agree, but that didn't make him any more forgiving about his own imprudence.

"Anyways, we're drifting away from the subject at hand," Vladimir said, "Otis, we need to go to Yuma. It's the only course of action that will keep everybody safe…and alive. And it's not we're leaving forever."

"What will you do about school?" Nelly cut in, "And Henry?" She stared at Vlad, her hazelnut eyes glazed over by tears. They both knew she couldn't care less about school if it was for his safety, and he could tell by looking into her eyes that she knew Henry would follow them on the trip. No, that wasn't what Nelly was most worried about-she was afraid of losing him, the nearest person she had as a son, and her newfound "daughter". As he thought about his twin half, Nelly's eyes fell on her. "And what about you?" Nelly sniffed, "I've barely just met you and I already have to say goodbye?"

Marie-Anne smiled, and her small hand reached across the table to take her aunt's own. "Like, you say, Auntie Nelly, it's only a goodbye, not a farewell. We'll see each other again, probably sooner than later."

Nelly forced a weak smile onto her lips, and squeezed her niece's fingers. "Only a goodbye…You're right, sweetie." She then turned to Otis, dropping her head on his shoulder. "I think we should let them go, Otis. They've made valid arguments, and it's Vlad's life we're talking about here."

Marie-Anne and Vlad both fidgeted impatiently as they watched their uncle mull over the situation. Minutes seemed to tick by as hours in the dense silence, but, finally, their uncle spoke up; "I guess I'll have to agree with Nelly. You have made valuable statements, and I have a feeling that, even if I said no, you'd still go anyway."

The twins' faces lit up, hope gleaming in their eyes. Their guardian was right, of course; they would have left with or without his and Nelly's permission, seeing as Bathory was no longer a secure place for any of them. But they felt much better about having their approval than having to sneak out, in the middle of the night…

…Without saying a proper goodbye.

After the air in the house had settled down, giving place to a much lighter, more pleasant mood, Dorian, Vlad and Marie-Anne decided to head out.

"You're not leaving now, are you?" Nelly stood, horrified, in the entrance hallway.

Vlad laughed, shaking his head. "Don't worry, Nelly, we're just heading over to Henry's."

He saw his aunt visibly decompress, and she smiled. "Is he going to accompany you three?"

"Hopefully, yes," Marie-Anne said, slipping on her white flip-flops. "He'd become too much of an easy target for other vampires if he'd stay here, You know, being Vlad's drudge and all…"

"Drudge?" Nelly's eyebrows furrowed confusedly, "What's a drudge?"

The trio quickly exchanged panicked looks. "You didn't tell her about drudges?" Marie-Anne hissed, her eyes wide. "That would've been nice to know!"

"Well I didn't think you'd mention that Henry's my drudge!" Vlad whispered back, frustrated. "It's common sense not to go screaming that kind of information around!"

"I didn't _scream_!" She shot back, sticking out her tongue.

The two bickered, and Dorian simply sighed. "I'll explain it to you later, Nelly. Right now, we have other people to visit." With that, he led the two arguing halflings outside, shutting the door quietly behind him. Nelly stayed where she was, staring perplexingly after them.

"Anything wrong, dear?" Otis asked as he came down the stairs, retrieving a book from the small study.

"You know," she said, "Sometimes, I feel like they grow up so fast." A smile bloomed on her lips, and she turned to go join her fiancé. "But it's nice to see that, at others, they're still kids by heart."

Otis gave his human love a strange look, but decided not to ask any questions.

Dorian, after breaking up the fight that had fired up between the twins, found himself amused by how they were suddenly absorbed in the present conversation together.

"What if we just asked?" Marie-Anne said, "I mean, it's not like we're asking him to help us in a collective murder."

"No," Vlad agreed, "But, knowing his mom, it might be very close to."

Vlad and Marie-Anne were brainstorming ways to get Henry to follow them on their trip to Yuma. They were walking over to his house at the moment (Dorian had managed to grab Vlad's hand along the way again), and finding ideas seemed impossible at the moment.

Convincing Henry himself wouldn't be the hard part. Vlad knew it, Dorian knew it, and even Marie-Anne, by her brother's wonderful descriptions, knew that getting Henry to tag along wouldn't be difficult in any sort of way. If anything, he'd probably beg to come along. Although, convincing his mom would prove to be the greater challenge. His mom was somewhat of a worry-wart, and his dad went along with whatever his mom said. So if his mom said "no", than his dad would say "no", and than their plan would meet their first road-bump.

They didn't want to be stopped by road bumps, so they had to figure out a way to get his mom to agree into letting her son go on a possibly very long trip.

"Maybe we could say it's for educational purposes?" Vlad suggested instead, but this time, Dorian had to disagree. "You're school year doesn't begin for another week. It wouldn't make sense."

All three of them suddenly realized how stumped they were. But they need a reason to give to Henry's mom, or else she'd never let him go, and that could potentially jeopardize their entire plan.

Suddenly, a light bulb flashed over Marie-Anne's head. "I know!" She said, "Here's what we can do…"

**Okay, here's what I want to do... I'd like your opinions about ways to convince Henry's mom into letting him go to Yuma! All of them will be taken into consideration, and, at the end of the week, I'll decide which one fits best, and I'll continue my story based on my choice! Or would you rather me have a poll on which one's best? Leave comments in your reviews! And it can really be anything! I'm open to every and any idea you come up with!**

**And a personal Thank You All in advance! Thank you for supporting my first Fanfiction, and for all the lovely reviews you leave! They really mean a world to me! P.S-This is ONLY if you want to! No obligations whatsoever!**

**Love you all!**

**-sairionata**


	7. NOTEIMPORTANT

***NOTE* This is not a chapter, but a message.**

**I will no longer be continuing this story, along with my other fanfic, Falling For The Wrong Side, due to lack of free time and other personal reasons.**

**I am sorry for those who have been waiting on updates on both of these, when I promised to do so. Although, if any of you ARE interested in continuing these stories, or would like to use a similar ideas to the ones in my stories, they are up for adoption. First come, first serve. If no interest is shown within the following days, they will be deleted along with my account.**

**Sorry for those of you who have been supporting me. I really appreciated your devotion, but I simply cannot continue these fanfics.**

**Yours Truly,**

**Sairionata**


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